Hishamuddin Rais in Tokyo: Sushi News 6

It has been a very hectic week for me – I left Tokyo last Sunday and went to Hiroshima. Stayed next the river there, just a few meters away from the A-Bomb site. The journey took 4 hours plus, and that’s with the fast bullet train – lucky I was in compartment #4 – which is just next to #3, the SMOKING ZONE!

The next day I visited the PEACE MUSEUM, after that I went to see Ms. Miyoko Matsubra, a lady of 75 who was 13 when the bomb blasted Hiroshima. It was a PAINFUL experience listening to her story.
THE DINNER – real romantic – on the boat just next to the hotel I was staying in. BUT there was no geishas in attendance, just a traditional MAKAN Japanese style – by now I have eaten so much sushi THAT i am looking a sushi myself!

After one night in Hiroshima, I went to Kyoto – the ancient capital and had real hectic time there – visiting shrines, island, historical sites plus more FOOD in a Japanese restaurant.

SIDE NOTE: Trust the Jap. If you think my lectures are long-winded then you should attend one of these local classes – it was long, first it’s all in Japanese, then translated to English!

RAN out of KERETEK – failed to meet Timuiko who had 3 cartons of keretek for me – over here my phone was not working. Shit luck.

Bought JAPANESE rokok – ahahaha – taste like nothing – like RM12 satu kotak. BTW all the smokers are descriminated in JAPAN. I am thinking of starting THE SMOKING LIBERATION MOVEMENT. Smokers of the world UNITE! Nothing to lose but your lungs!!

FOOD: i am supposed to write all these food stories for the EDGE – but really, there’s no time – FOOD STORIES are piling up but I have taken loads of pics.

MINAH JEPUN and Jambu JEPUN – no way here – they DID NOT even smile at you! They are so oppressed that they need to joined the University Bangsar Utama, where they will be sexuallly liberated, OTHERWISE they will die as VIRGINS!!!

HOROSHIMA/KYOTO and these Japanese towns are not beautiful at all – chaotic – real gila – no sense of direction – LIKE in KL laaaa… but worst of all – the electricity lines ALL above ground – so your eyes real kacau bilau – very strange – very anti Japanese aesthetic, I think they are caught in between wanting to be vulgar Americans and a refine ancient civilisation.

Within 30 minutes, I MUST leave this hotel. THE OFFICIAL program has ended, all the pegawai International House – minah cantik-cantik – all balik ke Tokyo – but I’m staying on for another 3 extra days. Booked an ancient RUMAH TUMPANGAN where I was told that Kurosawa used to stay – same street BUT maybe NO net connection – a bit tough but at least a bit more relaxed.

p/s: DID I MENTION that I bumped into ISE (the local artist) somewhere last week, just next to the Japanese pasar ikan. I was just coming out of a sushi restaurant (which is 100 yrs old) and terserempak dengan ISE. He is here on a Japan Foundation program, something to do with his project, that is to try get a Japanese girl in two weeks, by NOT speaking Japaanese!! Hahahah!Good luck to him!

After meeting Ise, I went to a KABUKI teater – funny – We should restage this play at THE ANNEXE – after all, they are all cross-dressers, we could round up all the Nyahs in Chow Kit and form a teater kompeni!

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this is a zine, an archive, a blog, a calendar, a place where words, entities, pixs and happenings came to be chronicled, appraised, documented and consigned to history. gloriously. it's also a shop. was. but that may be an "is" yet again. meanwhile Joe is on his travels; updates may be irregular and minimal. enjoy your stay. terima kasih.